Malware Wiki:Manual of Style
This is the Malware Wiki's manual of style, all pages are expected to meet our manual of style. If a page does not meet most of the criteria of our manual of style, add a tag to said page. Remember that sometimes using the source mode will be required for actions like adding templates. For an example of a page up to the Manual of Style, see the sample page. There are two types of editors, meaning two types of ways to access source mode. When using the classic editor, simply click the source header at the top to access source mode. When using visual editor, go to the three bars, at the top, click, and then click source mode. Pages can be marked as different ratings. Only administrators, moderators, and content reviewers may add ratings to pages. For a list of ratings and what all the ratings are, look at this list. Although we allow users from all countries around the world, please remember this Wiki will always assume you will have basic English skills. Good punctuation and grammar are good examples of basic English. Do not create categories without the consent of an administrator. This includes useless and redundant categories, examples can include "trash" and "trashware", which are both redundant, because "spam" and other such more fitting categories exist, and such categories are unprofessional. Basics #''The most important basic is to begin all sentences with a CAPITAL first letter of the first word in a sentence and to END all sentences with a period.'' #Speak in third person when writing pages, so use "the user" instead of "you". #Do not shorten words like 'information' and 'pictures' to 'info' or 'pics', use the full word. #Do not put text above the infobox, the only things that should be above infoboxes are notice templates like the stub template. #Note that Wikipedia is an acceptable source on this Wiki, however, there is a point where it can count as plagirarism. To avoid any issues, only copy and paste important sections from the Wikipedia article. If any sections have too much detail, either don't include them or shorten the amount of detail. And when using information from Wikipedia, use the template and include the page name in the template. (Include a | before page name) #Maintain a neutral point of view, which means representing fairly, proportionately, and, as far as possible, without editorial bias, and without all of the significant views that have been published by reliable sources on a topic. #While English has many different types, please only use an American English vocabulary. For example, don't say "flat" when referring to an apartment. And don't use British English or otherwise words spelled such as "colour", use the American English spelling such as "color". #When referring to nationality or a company, capitalize the first letter. Examples: Canadian, Microsoft. #Do not add an image to a page unless if it is put in the infobox of the page or the gallery section of the page. ##In addition to this, do not put images in the media section without first creating a gallery. An example of a gallery is as follows: image1|image1caption image2|image2caption Further writing #Do not create very small pages or blank with little information, as these will be rendered as spam pages and will be deleted. See the Small pages header for information if your page is still small. Add appropriate categories to pages. #Remember to do spacing whenever there is enough text, and one segment of text is different, even mildly different than the rest of the text. This makes pages easier to read and also makes pages more organized and clean. #Do not be unprofessional when writing, this includes using exclamation marks. And also includes using unprofessional language like "good news" and "bad news", and referring to the virus in a page as "this virus" rather than "the virus". This Wiki is not an unprofessional malware essay site, and we only want professional information. #'Do not use "etc." to describe anything, either find everything that it can do, or do not include "etc.".' #Avoid use of weasel words. Examples of weasel words are as follows: ##Some people say ##Many scholars state ##It is believed/regarded/considered ##Many are of the opinion ##Most feel ##Experts declare ##It is often reported ##It is widely thought #When describing the payload of a virus, only use present tense. Future tense can be used if, and only if it is absolutely necessary to use. #Do not bold the virus name more than once or twice, the virus name should only be bolded if it is the first sentence of a page describing the virus. For example: "Example '''(also known as '''Trojan.Win9.Example) is a virus that runs on Windows." #Do not use "..." #Do not use quotations unless if it is showing a quote from a person. Do not use italics or bolding constantly. And do not use parenthesis unless if giving a note or an "also" statement. #Do not add phone numbers to a page. Doing so can result in more trolls calling the technical support number, resulting in spam numbers. #In a removal section, do not state the user should install a particular antivirus, state that the user should install an antivirus. ##On top of this, do not bullet point or number the steps to remove. Explain in paragraph form. #Only use bullet points to list variants of a virus. Do not use them with anything else other than listing variants of viruses. Note that this is not needed if the variants already have their own sections. Article name Article names must be simple and not complex. The name of an article must always be the name of the virus, not the entire filename. For example, Thanksgiving is the name of the virus, but the filename is instead Virus.Boot.V1253/Thanksgiving. Article names must also not contain any letters or characters that cannot be normally typed on an English keyboard. This includes diacritics, (Example: Š), any Chinese/Japanese symbols, and any letters in different alphabets. Article headings Article headings are used to separate text in a page, this allows for ease of reading. There are multiple main types of headers. When making references, include the references under it's own header called "References" and include references in it. A page must not start with the header on top of the page, and do not put links in headers. Do not, and we repeat DO NOT USE ANY OTHER HEADERS THAN THE ONES LISTED BELOW. DO NOT MAKE "REMOVAL" A HEADER, MAKE IT A SUB-HEADING OF PAYLOAD. '' ''AND NEVER, EVER USE TRIVIA AS A HEADER, EITHER FIND A WAY TO ADD INFORMATION FROM TRIVIA INTO THE MAIN PAGE OR DON'T ADD IT. Malware headings *Use Payload '''for headers that are for sections that discuss about how a virus acts when it's file is executed. *Use '''Information '''or '''Details '''for headers that are for sections that discuss a virus, please note to not use this with pages that have Payload headers, only use this if a Payload header is not fitting for the topic of said page. *Use '''Media '''for headers pertaining to sections containing videos and images, do not use 'Videos' or 'Photos'. Operating system headings * Use '''List of versions '''for different versions of the operating system. Please note that Linux is an exception because it is built off of the same kernel, not the same operating system. * Use '''History '''for the history of the operating system itself. * Use '''Media '''for headers pertaining to sections containing videos and images, do not use 'Videos' or 'Photos'. Antivirus headings (FOR REAL ANTIVIRUSES, NOT ROGUES.) * Use '''Information '''for further information of the page, like history of the antivirus, how it functions, and payment options. * Use '''Features '''for all the features that the antivirus can offer. * Use '''Media '''for headers pertaining to sections containing videos and images, do not use 'Videos' or 'Photos'. Sub headings Sub headings are used for separating text, but does not contain enough text, or is related to it's parent header but worthy enough to be a sub heading. Infoboxes There are ''three''''' types of infoboxes, one for malware; , One for websites; , And one for non-virus software; . Infoboxes give information in a properly laid out list. Please note that if you do not know certain information points such as when the virus was created, or who it's creator was, do not fill them out, not even with "unknown" or "N/A", leave them blank. For information on how to use these templates, look at the Sample Page. Grammar Be sure to check grammar when writing pages. If you are not sure how a word is spelled, use Reverso or other grammar checking websites, to make sure you are spelling correctly. Remember to use proper punctuation, and always double check your grammar. Small pages When making a page, if the page is small, remember that it must first be proved that the virus the page relates to is legitimate, and provide sources to prove so, such as a video or a news article. On top of this, go to the source editor, and type at the top of the page. This will signal to readers and editors that the page is small, and possibly advise them to find and add more information to the page. Category:Malware Wiki Category:Help Category:Reference